For the Love of a Friend
by Astraldust
Summary: Rodney’s in a spot of trouble and John bails him out. Shep whumping. Complete
1. It Started Out a Sunny Day

**Summary**:- Rodney's in a spot of trouble and John bails him out. Shep whumping

**Spoiler:- **Conversion. Takes place in season 2 sometime after that episode.

**Pairing:- **A hint of Sparky. John/Rodney friendship. Not slash

**Rating: -T**Mild language and physical abuse

**Disclaimer: - **I don't own Stargate Atlantis or its super characters. Unfortunately! Sgt. Tom Macklin and Hans Meyer are mine.

Sorry no Beta, I live in a country where the first language isn't English. So the mistakes are mine.

_Beckett: You have a splinter, Rodney!_

_McKay: Yes, a very nasty, painful splinter._

_Beckett: This might hurt a wee bit._

_McKay: as a nurse extracts his splinter OW!_

_Sheppard: I'm sure it will._

_Beckett: I know ya have a high threshold for pain._

**For The Love of a Friend**

Part 1 – It Started Out a Sunny Day

Stepping away from the event horizon, Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard surveyed the peaceful early morning landscape of M7P-455 as his team members came through behind him. Immediately, Ronon and Sgt. Tom Macklin, who was standing in for Teyla as she was feeling a little under the weather with, as Carson had put it, a bit of stomach problem, spread out guns at the ready.

Rodney held up his hand scanner and went off to stand near the DHD muttering. "Here we go again."

"What's that supposed to mean, Rodney?" John asked, ambling over to his position.

"What? Oh, the usual, of course. No energy readings, perfect pastoral setting and I'm betting that the town over there," he said, pointing to a stone walled community about half a mile away, "Is at least 500 years behind in technology. A perfect waste of time!"

Sheppard threw him an exasperated look. "You knew before we came that this was just a contact and trading mission. So if you don't like it why don't you go back home?"

"What and leave you all alone to get into untold kinds of trouble? Not likely!" Rodney expressed.

John suppressed a smile, he knew Rodney was just using that as an excuse for his negative attitude. "I'm a big boy, Rodney and I'm not alone," he said, pointing to Ronon and sergeant.

"No, no it's okay. I'm sure they have something to offer even if it's only a bowl of fruit."

Teasingly, John warned. "There might be some lemontype fruits in there!"

Rodney was ready for it. "In that case, I'll just have to get you to taste the fruit first. In fact," he pondered, "that's a really good idea and then if the fruit is poisonous it won't harm me."

"Nice one, McKay, and here's me thinking you're my friend." Without waiting for a comeback, John gathered up the others with a look and started to walk towards the town.

They passed various fields of nutritious looking fruit and vegetables along the way and soon entered the town's ancient stone gateway to receive a surprisingly warm welcome from the locals.

Looking around the community, Sheppard commented that it looked like a picture post card setting complete with stonewall, quaint thatched cottages, narrow streets and a monastery like structure perched on an incline overlooking the town. He heard McKay's loud groan at the comment.

The team quickly introduced themselves to the town Elder, a stocky old man by the name of Eskeran, who took them into a small meetinghouse to start negotiations. At first, he'd seemed to be pleased to talk and accommodating to their requests but all that went down hill when the town leader suddenly declared that they weren't good enough negotiators for his liking.

Feeling somewhat insulated, John exchanged an eye rolling gesture with Rodney before suggesting that they go back home and bring a superior negotiator with them. Sheppard didn't like bringing Elizabeth into an unknown situation but these people had stuff that they badly needed, namely fresh produce. Even though the Daedalus was now making regular runs, fresh fruit and veggies were far superior then the frozen or preserved produce bought back from earth.

As Sheppard gathered the team for the return to Atlantis, Rodney suddenly expressed his desire to look around the town while they were gone as he thought he saw some indication of ancient writings along the pathway leading up to the monastery. Mr. Eskeran agreed to his request but stated that he must respect their beliefs and rules. Feeling a little uneasy at leaving the inquisitive and sometimes thoughtless McKay alone, Sheppard ordered Ronon to stay with him.

-SGA-

Everything went surprisingly smoothly and a few hours later, Sheppard and Macklin returned with Dr. Weir plus a couple of extra men. John quickly introduced Elizabeth to the Elder and when re-negotiations were under way, he contacted McKay to see how things were his end.

Rodney answered with his typical enthusiasm stating that the pathway did indeed shown some weather worn but interesting script stretching all the way to the building. He then went on to describe the obviously highly religious sect that lived in the monastery after he had literally invited Ronon and himself in. The monks had reluctantly allowed them to look around.

Before signing off, Sheppard warned McKay to be careful and said he would contact him again in two hours. He then rejoined the negotiations.

Bored out of his mind John tried hard to pay attention to the useless barter exchange between Dr. Elizabeth Weir and the unrelenting bureaucratic Eskeran, but it was a losing battle. Examining his fingernails for the umpteenth time, Sheppard eventually found himself dozing off.

Suddenly jerking upright, John quickly looked to his watch to find that Rodney's couple of hours was nearly up, so half-heartedly he retuned himself back into the negotiations only to find that Elizabeth had made no progress, what so ever. He could tell she was becoming more and more frustrated with the man and he vaguely wondered how much longer she would last before calling it a useless venture.

Catching Weir's eye, Sheppard gestured to his radio that he was going to contact McKay again. She nodded quickly before turning back to the stubborn native. However, before he could call McKay, his radio came alive with Ronon's worried voice.

Quickly hitting the send button, John asked. "What's up?"

Ronon's no nonsense tone stated. "Sheppard! You'd better get here fast! McKay has upset the holy men!"

tbc

_Please be kind and review. Thanks!_


	2. Crying out Loud, It’s Only a Statue

Part 2 – Crying out Loud, It's Only a Statue!

Elizabeth had stopped talking when John first answered the call. "What's the problem, Colonel?" she asked as he clicked off his radio.

He went over to Weir and quietly whispered. "The usual, McKay's done something he shouldn't have and is in a spot of trouble. Look, I'd better go and check this out. Will you be okay here?" Sheppard finished.

"Of course, go and sort it out. Oh, and keep me posted."

"Will do and I'll leave Macklin and the men with you."

"I'll be fine, John. Just be careful," she whispered.

Giving her a quick smile, he left the meetinghouse and quickly made his way towards the monastery.

-SGA-

Reaching the top of the long stone stairway, Ronon was waiting for him by a large entry. "Okay…fill me…in," Sheppard puffed, trying to get his breath back.

"What's there to say," Ronon gestured, "All he did was touch some damn statue and they all went crazy."

"Define crazy?"

Ronon thought for a few seconds. "Well, they were a pretty placid bunch until that moment and then all of a sudden they started ranting on about blasphemy and how McKay had dishonored their goddess."

John suddenly had a very bad feeling as he asked. "Where's McKay now?"

"They took him to another room and locked him in. I was ready to fight them off but McKay warned me against it."

"Yeah, that's probably for the best at the moment. Maybe, we can get him out of this without resorting to violence." Suddenly wishing he were back to being bored, he sighed. "Okay, let's go talk to these people."

Ronon lead the way to an arched walkway that surrounded a large stone courtyard. Around the perimeter, were a number of wooden doors obviously leading to rooms beyond? In the middle of the courtyard, a lone fountain tickled a small amount of water, which flowed tranquilly into the fish filled pond surrounding the fountain. Nearby were several wooden columns for which purpose was anyone's guess.

Striding towards a large door at the far end of the walkway, Ronon knocked loudly but didn't wait for someone to answer before entering a room beyond.

Several monks wearing bright orange colored robes rose to meet him as Ronon turned and introduced the colonel. They reminded John of some Buddhist monks he'd seen once on a mountaineering trip to the Himalayas.

"You are the leader of these people?" one of the monks asked. From his slightly different attire of orange and brown, John concluded that the man was probably the head priest or whatever he was called but he rudely failed to introduce himself.

"Yes, I am. Now can you please tell me exactly what the problem is?"

"The problem is with the one who talks far too much for him own good." John had to smile a little at that. "Come I will show you what he touched and then I will tell you what his punishment will be."

The bad feeling returned full force as Sheppard and Ronon followed the monks out to the courtyard and into another much larger room. From the seating arrangement and other furnishings, the room obviously served as a place of reverence and prayer to whatever Goddess these people worshiped.

Leading Sheppard over to an alcove, the head priest pointed to the offending object and immediately John could see why Rodney had touched it. For there, embedded in a niche between the arms of a beautiful angelic figurine was a perfectly intact, although seemingly depleted, ZPM.

-SGA-

Trying to keep his tone respectful in the sanctuary of this obviously holy place, Sheppard asked. "Can you please explain why this object is so important that it can't be touched?"

The priest looked at him as if he had a marble lose or two before answering. "I suppose we can forgive your ignorance seeing as you came from the ring of standing water. Tyleen," he gestured with outstretched hands, "is our protector and between her arms sits the key of life. To touch her could destroy that key, so let it be known that no one may ever touch her again."

"She protects you against what?" John asked, although he had a good idea he knew the answer even before the priest replied.

"Why against the sky demons, of course."

"Sky demons?"

"Surely you have heard of the Valcos who come from the sky to devour our people?"

Sighing, John answered. "Yes, we have but we call them the Wraith. So how does Tyleen save the people?" he enquired.

"It has been a long time since she has been called upon to use her powers but it is written in the holy book that a powerful light shines from her arms to ascend and destroy the evil Valcos before they can touch the ground."

Sheppard could see the holy man wasn't the youngest any more, maybe seventy-eight years or more. "So you've not seen a culling…err…coming of these Valcos in your lifetime?"

"Thankfully, I have not and my family before me did not but the holy book does not lie. It would be unwise to insinuate that this is just a story."

Trying not to lose his cool with the touchy old priest, Sheppard patiently replied. "Oh, I believe you. My team and I have seen similar things on other worlds. What I'm trying to say is I'm surprised the Wraith…the…Valcos haven't been in recent years?"

"Praise be to Tyleen, they have not and if they were to return then she would save us from them."

John thought it best to agree with him at this time. He needed to talk to McKay and get his opinion on the state of the ZPM but if they weren't allowed to go near it again then it was probably speculative to say the least. "May I talk to Dr. McKay?"

"I see no reason why not. However, he must face his punishment before he can leave this place."

Sheppard wanted to ask what that was but the priest had ready turned to leave, moving remarkably fast for an old man. He and Ronon quickly moved to follow him.

-SGA-

A few rooms later, the old man stopped before a sturdy wooden door. Producing a large set of heavy metal keys, he opened the portal and gestured for Sheppard to step in. Ronon wanted to follow but the priest held up his hand to stop him. "I will allow your leader to speak to him alone."

"Its okay, Ronon. Wait out here until I come out."

Not liking it, Ronon slouched against the wall and glared at the monks surrounding him.

John entered the room to find McKay sitting quietly studying his laptop. "So you couldn't keep your wondering hands off a ZPM?"

"What, what, oh, it's you. Glad you're here, we can go now? Huh?"

"Not exactly. First off, I still have to work out your release from these highly religious folks. It seems you touched their beloved protector and that was bad…really bad, Rodney."

"Yes, yes, I know but I still don't see why they're so upset about me touching their precious statue? The thing's dead anyway."

"You're sure about that?"

"Yes, as sure as I can be without actually being able to examine the ZPM and the statue surround in more detail, but that doesn't seem like an option now, does it?"

Sheppard sighed and rubbed his tried eyes. "Nope, these people seem very adamant in their beliefs, so maybe it's best to leave them alone. And Rodney, we wouldn't want to take their ZPM even if it was full, now would we? So the question is immaterial."

Rodney gave a look like a child who'd lost his favorite toy. "Yes, yes, I suppose so, but they're going to find out the hard way when the Wraith show up."

"Yep, unfortunately, but we couldn't do much for them anyway. Look right now, my main concern is getting you out of here in one piece."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"They didn't tell you? You're facing some kind of punishment for touching their precious shrine."

John watched as Rodney's face lost its entire color. "No, they didn't," he whispered.


	3. How Can I Get You Out of This?

Part 3 – How Can I Get You Out of This?

Nervously, McKay went back to his laptop as Sheppard left the room. Outside Ronon was still glaring at the monks as John joined him.

Gesturing to the head priest, Sheppard asked. "Is there someplace we could talk privately?"

"Of course, I will show you to my room, Colonel….Shethart."

"Sheppard." John corrected.

"I am so sorry, peoples names are not my best aptitude, especially those of outsiders."

"Understandable but you haven't even told me your name yet?" John requested.

Looking at Sheppard as to whether he was worthy of such knowledge, the priest replied. "You must understand we don't normally get any visitors here. Even the town's people do not bother us much, unless it is to bring us produce that we cannot grow ourselves. We are a closed sect devoted to the safeguard of our Goddess and most of our time is spend in meditation. However, you may simply call me, Vatu," the old man declared as he moved off.

Sheppard quickly followed him down a long corridor after ordering Ronon to remain guarding McKay's door.

Eventually, Vatu showed Sheppard into his rather frugal room simply furnished with a small wooden table, a chair and a hard looking bed. Vatu placed himself soundly on the chair, so that left John the choice of either standing or sitting on the bed. Deciding to take the bed, he hoped he wasn't insulting the old man or anything. The priest didn't seem to mind.

Relaxing somewhat, John moved his P90 into a more comfortable position. Actually, he'd been remotely surprised that he'd been allowed to keep his weapons. Maybe, they didn't realize what they were, although he very much doubted that. Clearing his throat, Sheppard came right to the point. "Okay, let's get down to business. Exactly what will Dr. McKay's punishment be?"

Vatu sat back, his fingers steeped as if in prayer. "You have to comprehend things from our point of view, Colonel Sheppart, as this matter is extremely grave to us. It would normally mean death to the offender but…as…err…Mc...McKay isn't of our world; we will be a little more merciful."

John had gone cold at the mention of a death penalty and sincerely hoped that being a little more – merciful - didn't include losing a limb or anything like that. With dread, he asked. "Meaning what?"

The priest didn't respond for a minute or two, giving himself time to think. Eventually, he replied. "He will receive twenty lashes of the bant and then he'll be free to go home as long as he does not return to disturb our Goddess, ever again. Furthermore, if you should resort to violence to free your friend, then Tyleen will be displeased and you do not want to incur her wrath."

For a moment, John didn't say anything wondering what the heck a statue could do to incur wrath against him. Resorting to violence hadn't be an option anyway, unless Rodney's life had been in danger. They needed to make allies out of these people not foes. They already had enough of those throughout the galaxy, so they really didn't need anymore. However, he could picture Rodney in his mind, the man who made a fuss over the slightest injury, the smallest cut. A total hypochondriac, so how could he spare his friend the pain of this punishment?

Thinking fast, Sheppard tried to find a solution. "Look, you have to understand that the object in your shrine is one that we know very well. We call it a ZPM, it's a type of energy source left by the Ancients. McKay is a scientist and has great interest in these things and he got a little over excited when he saw one and didn't think to ask before touching it. Now, I'm sure he'll apologize if you let him."

"We worshipped the Ancient ones before the true Goddess appeared. She took what you call the ZPM and turned it into our key of life. The holy book states that to touch it can cause it to die. Only those blessed by Tyleen may touch it through her hands. I am sorry but an apology is not good enough, Colonel Sheppart, if we let him go without punishment then we will lose our credibility as guardians and the people will lose their faith."

John was beginning to understand a little of how one ZPM had turned into a religion over the millennia and maybe the - don't touch clause - had been a way to protect it against damage or even theft. He could also see that the stubborn old man was determined to go ahead with the punishment no matter what he said or did. Resorting to violence still wasn't an option, so what he did next came out of a desperation to save Rodney from any harm.

"My name is **Sheppard**, Lieutenant Colonel John **Sheppard**," he said, emphasizing his surname and as leader of my team, I take full responsibility of Dr. McKay's actions. Therefore, the punishment must be passed onto me."

Tbc

_Thanks for the reviews, I love receiving them. _


	4. A Little White Lie

Part 4 – A Little White Lie

For a moment, it looked like Vatu would object to John's request. The old man's eyes bore into his for several long minutes. Sheppard could almost see the wheels turning in the holy man's brain.

When he finally answered, Vatu's voice was surprisingly soft and gentle. "You are indeed a brave and honorable man, Colonel Sheppard. You would really do this to save your companion from pain?"

Without hesitation and pleased that the man finally had his name right, Sheppard answered. "He is my friend and yes, I would do this to spare him unnecessary pain. He is a good man, a very intelligent man but occasionally he tends to act before he thinks. We've kind of gotten into the habit of saving each others skin of late and I think it's my turn."

"I see," Vatu answered, for the first time with a slight smile. "All right, Colonel, your offer is acceptable and will be carried out straight away."

Sheppard felt his heart quicken at the thought of the beating but he was ready for it. Only one thing though, he didn't wantRodney to know about his actions. "Look, I'd like to keep this from McKay. He may not understand and get really upset if he knew about it. Under the surface, he's a very proud man and I'm…"

"Yes, yes," Vatu said holding up his hand to silence John. "I know what you're trying to say and this is agreeable. We will send him on his way before the punishment beings. The other will go with him. I will leave that for you to explain."

John got up from the bed. "Thank you."

The old man said no more as he led Sheppard back to McKay.

Opening the door to McKay's holding room, Vatu allowed the man to leave. Rodney wasted no time in joining Ronon and Sheppard in the corridor. "So what's going on?" he asked.

John looked at him trying to act as normally as possible. "Apologize to the man nicely Rodney and then you're free to go."

"Just like that?"

"Yep, just like that. Today's your lucky day," John muttered, "And Ronon, I want you go with him and make sure he takes the direct route back to the Stargate. I'll contact Elizabeth and ask her to meet you guys there and then I want you –**all- **to go home. Is that understood?"

"And what about you?" McKay put in.

"I'll follow you as soon as possible. There are one or two things I have to deal with here."

"Like what?" Rodney asked suspiciously.

McKay could be so stubborn at times, Sheppard thought, as he tried hard to find an explanation. However, before he could do so Vatu stepped in. "The Colonel wishes to see some of our relics and herbal remedies, so I have agreed to show him. Nevertheless, as part of our arrangement for your release, Dr. McKay, it is necessary that you leave our planet immediately. Your presence is no longer acceptable to us and if you delay then the punishment will be carried out."

It amazed both Sheppard and Ronon how quickly Rodney could act if his well-being was threatened. "Okay, look I'm truly sorry about touching your shrine. Really I am," he said with about as much sincerity as he could muster under the circumstances. The monks seem accept it.

Turning to John, McKay pulled him aside. "I still don't like this, since when have you been interested in herbal remedies and the like?"

Sheppard rolled his eyes and whispered. "I'm doing this to humor them, so will you **please** go before they change their minds. I'll come as soon as I'm finished here."

McKay stared at him for several long seconds before catching sight of the old priest. Quickly turning, he moved off with Ronon towards the exit. Before going through, he shot John a parting sentence. "You'd better join us soon, Sheppard?"

"Yeah, okay." John called back. When the two had disappeared from sight, Sheppard took out his radio and contacted Elizabeth.

It took a while before she answered and she sounded more than just a little up tight. "What is it, Colonel?"

"I take it things aren't progressing much?"

Softening her voice for John, she replied. "No, not much."

This bit of news was certainly going to make things easier from his point of view. "Look why don't you call it a day. I think we can find other places to trade. I've managed to get Rodney out of the fire but I'm sending him home as part of the agreement. Why don't you meet him and Ronon at the gate and then go through? Oh, and take…err…Macklin and the men with you."

"That the best idea I've heard all day, but what about you?"

"I'll be along soon. The head priest wants me to look at a few things." John answered.

"Really, is that necessary?"

That's all he needed, Elizabeth telling him to come back straight away. "They're peace loving bunch and some of the stuff here looks interesting, so give me an hour or two. Okay?"

Sighing she relented. "Alright John, but I'm leaving Sgt. Macklin to wait for you."

Sheppard didn't want that but if he argued too much then Elizabeth really would become suspicious. "Alright, tell him to wait for me by the Stargate. The rest of you go home. I'll be fine."

"You'd better be, and John…please leave before nightfall."

"Will do." Clicking off his radio, Sheppard turned to face Vatu and his monks. "Okay, let's get this over with."

-SGA-

Her face displayed concern as Elizabeth switched off her radio. Something wasn't quite right. John sounded normal enough to her ears but she had a small suspicion that he wasn't telling her the whole truth.

Turning her attention back to the town Elder, she was just about to tell him that she was leaving, when a villager entered the room and whispered something to his leader.

The Elders face broke into a smile for the first time since the negotiations had begun. "Arr…Dr. Weir it seems that we can do business with you after all. Your people seem to be highly honorable and totally trust worthy, so we would be very happy to trade."

For one of the few times in her life, Elizabeth wastotally bewildered. It had taken hours of useless talks and then suddenly this change of heart. She was almost inclined to tell him to go to hell but her diplomatic training kicked in, just in time.

Sounding a little frosty, she replied. "Very well that would be acceptable. How about the amount we first discussed?" she suggested.

"Yes, that would be just fine."

Surprised again at the easy response, Elizabeth stated. "Right, I'll send another team along tomorrow with the first assignment but right now, I'd like to get back to the Stargate before nightfall."

The Elder stood. "Oh, that is quite understandable." Holding out his hand to her, he continued. "Dr. Weir, it has been a pleasure negotiating with you. May you have a safe journey back to your planet."

Elizabethtook his hand and thanked him. Taking her leave,she quickly gathered up her belongings and exited the building. It was still light outside but the planet's sun was beginning to lower in the sky. She looked towards the monastery wondering what the heck Sheppard was playing at. Part of her wanted to march up there and get him to come with them but common sense told her to do as he had suggested. If she delayed then Rodney may come back to look for them undoing whatever agreement John had made for his release. Reluctantly, she signaled for the soldiers and Macklin to follow her to the Stargate.

-SGA-

The monks led him to the courtyard and indicated that he should strip off his clothes. Moving to one side, John put his weapons down and removed his tac vest, jacket and black t-shirt until he was down to BDU pants. There was no way he was getting out of them. They seemed to understand and accept that.

The sun had lowered behind the courtyard, leaving it cast in deep shadows of early evening. The chilly airfelt fresh on John's naked skin as they led him to one of the posts surrounding the tranquil fountain.

Trying to distance himself, he allowed them to tie his hands high above his head as he faced the rough wooden surface of the pole. This was going to hurt, no doubt, but he could do it. He could do this for Rodney and with that thought, he waited for the first bite of the bant, whatever that was?

-SGA-

Rodney and Ronon were already standing by the Stargate when Elizabeth and the soldiers arrived.

Nobody said very much as a slightly troubled and glum Rodney walked over to the DHD and began dialing Atlantis. When the event horizon appeared, Weir sent her IDC through and prepared to leave.

Wearily, she turned towards the men. "Okay, time to go home. Sgt. Macklin you stay here and wait for the colonel, please," she ordered.

"Yes, ma'am," he replied.

"I'm staying too." Ronon declared.

Elizabeth was afraid of this. She trusted Ronon but he had a tendency to act irrationally and he was sometimes over protective towards Sheppard. Whereas this may not be such a bad thing all told, she knew John wasn't always so thrilled by it.

"I'm sure that's not necessary, Ronon. I spoke to the colonel before leaving and he assured me that he would be along very soon, but if it puts your mind at rest then both Macklin and Meyer can stay here. Then if there's any trouble you can return at any time."

Ronon thought things over for a moment. He cast a quick glance at McKay knowing that Sheppard wanted him to see the man home. "Okay, but I'm returning if he doesn't come back in a few hours."

"Fine. Okay, let's get Rodney home." Elizabeth didn't see the grimace on McKay's face as she stepped through to Atlantis.


	5. This is Going to Hurt!

Part 5 – This is Going to Hurt

The first strike took him by surprise even though he'd anticipated it. His back protested loudly at the abuse as the bant scored his skin to leave a long cut. John hadn't caught sight of the thing that they were using, so he could only guess from the agony it produced that it was similar to leather whips used on Earth. Muttering, he gritted his teeth. "One down nineteen to go. This is for Rodney," he consoled as he braced for the next blow.

Eight strikeslater and he nearly lost count because of the searing agony. "This is for Rodney," he repeated like a mantra over and over again as he desperately tried to push the pain aside. He let himself drift to better events but each new strike reminded him with full clarity that the pain was still very much there.

When the thirteenth strike came, he cried out for the first time as the bant caught a sensitive area already shredded.

By the sixteenth strike, his knees gave out and he lost his footing on the stone ground to hang like a sack. After that, he counted no more as he drifted in a pain-filled stupor.

The next he knew, hands were reaching up to untie his abused wrists. Without a sound, he fell to the ground and rested his head against the wooden post. A splash of cold water abruptly washed over his back cooling the burning but leaving the agony.

-SGA-

Some significant time elapsed before he found the strength to lift his agonizing body off the ground and look around. Wiping the cold sweat off his forehead, he found that he was alone in the now dusky courtyard making him vaguely wonder where everyone had gone.

He shook as a cold shiver overcame him making his back protest loudly. Needing to get warm, he staggered over to the outer wall but his clothes and weapons were no longer, where he'd left them. Rising panic rose in his throat.

Desperately looking around, he noticed one side door stood slightly ajar allowing soft light to spill into the courtyard. Having no choice, Sheppard lurched towards the source, hoping to find his things and some added warmth.

Cautiously, he slipped through the door only to find himself back in the room with the Tyleen shrine. The air felt slightly warmer but it did nothing to take away the deep chill affecting the whole his body. In despair, he looked around for his clothes but they were nowhere in sight.

The monks sat motionless in meditative silence as they faced the statue of Tyleen. No one acknowledged his entry or made a move to speak. He wanted his clothes desperately but was fearful of disturbing them in their mediation, wondering what punishment that action may produce. Did they truly expect him to leave like this?

The agony of his shredded back was causing him to shake not only with cold, as he felt oozing blood slowly trickle down to join the wet mess at his waistband. Probably going into shock, he vacantly thought. That's just what he needed, so there was nothing for it, he would have to disturb the monks. However, as Sheppard made to move towards them, they started to chant.

The chanting echoed around the room in an unrelenting pulse. It joined the swirling fumes of incense to become hypnotic and addictive. It rattled through John's head causing him to loose all sense of caution. He felt compelled to move towards the forbidden shrine as if drawn by forces unknown. He didn't notice Vatu move out of his seat to await him.

Lurching forwards, Sheppard nearly made it until his legs finally gave out and he went clashing to his knees, no more than a foot away from the mesmerizing figurine and its precious ZPM.

The chanting grew louder and louder as it persisted unrelenting. He wanted it to stop. To stop messing with his brain making him want touch something that could earn him yet more punishment or maybe even death.

He lifted heavy eyes towards the shrine and for the first time noticed the statue's hands were facing upwards as if enticing him to touch them. Were they like that before? His befuddled mind questioned as he shivered violently under the gaze of Tyleen. His senses told him that the old monk had moved to stand behind him. Could Vatu be waiting to carry out another punishment should he stray and touch the forbidden? Yet, the chanting and the Goddess encouraged him to do just that.

His hands no longer did his bidding as they reached out to join hers and at the touch, his world filled with a vision so intense that it flared in his brain. A vision filled with deadly light and falling darts raining through the sky in flames. As the last dart exploded, white-hot pain seared through his body and John Sheppard knew no more.

_tbc_

_Sorry this is such a evil cliffy but I'll try and get the next part posted tomorrow. Thanks for all your wonderful reviews!_


	6. Time to Go Home

Part 6 – Time to Go Home 

The evening air was getting chilly as Macklin and Meyer waited patiently by the Stargate for their CO. Off in the distance, the town was as peaceful as ever, but over the faraway hills, lightening intensely lit the sky in a way that the sergeant had never observed before. The intervals between the flashes were incredibility short. As another flash brilliantly lit the horizon, the sergeant grimaced hoping that it wasn't coming their way as it seemed like one hell of a storm.

Checking his watch for the umpteenth time, he noted that only ten minutes had elapsed since he'd last looked. Why did time always stand still when you had nothing to do but wait? He mused. Turning to Meyer, he muttered. "I wonder what's taking him so long."

"Ja, I hope he is soon coming."

Macklin smiled at the soldier's accent. The man was new to Atlantis and part of the contingent of international troops. Taking out some power bars, he offered one to Meyer. "Are you settling in okay?"

"Oh, very fine. Thank you."

"That's good to hear. So you've got no problems with the boss being an American?"

Meyer looked at the sergeant knowing that this man was also an American. "I must admit, at first I was a little…err…apprehensive about coming to another galaxy, but when the opportunity within the Stargate program came, I jumped at it. I knew that I would probably serve under US commander and I have no problems with Colonel Sheppard. He seems to be a good man and very different from my previous commanders. As long as we do our job well, he leaves us alone, ya? Not so much pomp and…err…formal procedures."

"Yep, you can say that again." Macklin agreed. "Well, if he doesn't turn up in the next thirty minutes or so we're going to have to contact Dr. Weir. I sure hope we don't have to 'cause she worries sick about him."

"Are they…err…lovers?"

The sergeant nearly choked on his power bar at that one. "Not to my knowledge," he answered with a smile, "But you never know."

-SGA-

The solid feel of a rough wooden surface woke Sheppard from his dreamless sleep. For the first few minutes, he couldn't remember where he was and why in heavens name he was laying face down on a very hard plank. Then the fog in his mind lifted as he moved and the pain of his back kicked in.

Cautiously, he eased himself up and looked around to find that he was alone in a small room. It contained just the plank, which turned out to be a bed, and one small chair but his face broke with relief when he saw his clothes and weapons neatly stacked on top of it.

Sitting carefully on edge, he attempted to dress but it was a difficult and painful process. His back still felt sickly and putting on his t-skirt before his back had been treated probably wasn't such a good idea but he wanted to go home.

By the time, he'd eased himself into his tac vest he was sweating with the discomfort, so fumbling in his pockets, he eventually found a packet of extra strength Panadol which wouldn't do much for his back but may take the edge of his headache. Uncapping his water bottle, he took a long insatiable swig and swallowed the pills.

"Time to get out, John!" he muttered to himself as he secured his 9mm in its holster and grasped his P90 to his chest. He didn't know if he could use if he had to defend himself but nothing was stopping him from going home. So with absolute resolve and grit willpower, he got up and left the room.

Nobody tried to stop him as he walked determinedly to find the courtyard even though he passed several monks along the way. For a minute, his directional sense confused him and he nearly panicked when he found himself back in the shrine room, but from there the courtyard was only a door away.

Single-mindedly, he headed for the door until a soft voice stopped him. "Go in peace, Colonel."

Sheppard halted to face Vatu and in doing so, his eyes moved to the shrine. Everything looked the exactly same as before. The ZPM still lay dull lovingly cradled between the arms of Tyleen. He really didn't know exactly what had transpired in this room an hour or so ago, but John had the distinct feeling that if the Wraith were to show up, things would be very different.

Vatu smiled at John's look of comprehension. "Do not worry about us, we are safe."

"Yeah, I guess you are. Now if you don't mind I need to get home and take care of things."

"Of course, we are sorry about your pain but it was necessary. Dr. McKay is lucky to have such a friend in you, I hope he values it?"

"It works both ways." Without another word, John turned and headed out of the door. It was going to be a long and painful trek back to the Stargate.

-SGA-

Macklin looked towards the distant hills where the thunderstorm had stopped an hour or so ago. Checking his watch once more, he proclaimed. "That's it! I guess it's time to contact Dr. Weir."

"Just a minute, sir, I see someone coming out of the town, I think."

Macklin turned towards where Meyer was pointing and indeed someone was coming but from the short height, it couldn't possibly be their CO. As they watched, more and more people left the town to head their way.

Getting a little worried, both soldiers raised there weapons as the lead group reached the Stargate.

-SGA-

Elizabeth checked her watch, again. It had been over two hours since their return to Atlantis and it was now well into their nighttime.

Why did he do this to her? She questioned. How many times had she sat in this very chair unable to concentrate or work because he was overdue? She sighed loudly. John Sheppard was definitely going to be the cause of premature grey hair of that she was sure.

Another five minutes and she was going to send Ronon and Lorne's team back to Dalenia to drag him out of the monastery, if necessary.

-SGA-

"Another few minutes and you're there. You can do it, you can do it," John muttered to himself as he continued down the stony pathway. His feet had given out several times, wrenching his back and causing agony to lace through his body, but he kept steadfastly moving on.

The Stargate was now in sight, tall and splendid against the star spangled night sky. Through his burring vision, John thought he saw figures lining the path leading to the ring. Were they his people or the Dalenians?

He stopped suddenly to take a minute to get his breath and tank up some strength to face his people and act like normal. Reaching for his water bottle, he drank thirstily then splashed some onto his face in an effort to cool it down.

Inhaling deeply, John moved off once again to walk intently along the path now lined with villagers holding flickering torches. He sincerely hoped that they meant him no harm because right now he couldn't defend himself against a fly if landed on his shoulder. However, they remained quiet, just watching and waiting like a silent escort and somehow, he finally made it to where is men stood wearily surveying the locals, guns raised.

Pulling himself together, Sheppard ordered. "Lower your weapons and dial the gate. We're going home."

"Yes, sir." Macklin answered pleased to be going back at last.

As Macklin punched in the address, several villagers including one or children cautiously approached. They carried several baskets laden with fruit and vegetables, placing them near John's feet.

One of the children, a lovely little girl reached up towards him with a small bunch of yellow flowers. John gritted his teeth and bent slightly to take them from her. With the warmest smile he could muster, he thanked her before she ran off to rejoin her mother.

Meyer silently analyzed his CO interaction with these people as Sheppard thanked them for their generosity. Something wasn't right even in the dusky touch light he could see that the colonel was having some problems moving. His unruly hair was wilder than normal and his BDU's looked ruffled and stained.

Stepping up to his CO, Meyer asked. "Are you alright, sir?"

Sheppard didn't look the soldier in the face as he replied. "I'm good."

Just then, the event horizon formed giving Meyer no chance to say any more as he watched Sheppard move over and send his IDC. Not waiting for an order, Meyer picked up the baskets and took upa position next to his CO. Together all three entered the sea of standing water.

_Tbc Thanks again for all the reviews they keep my fingers busy. _


	7. Where Do You Think You're Going Colonel?

Part 7 – Where do You Think You're Going Colonel?

Elizabeth raced down the stairs when Sheppard's IDC came in. She wasn't ashamed at showing the relief she felt on her face. Only a few techs and guards occupied the gate room anyway at this time of night. However, her elation abruptly ended when she caught sight of him. She'd seen John return home in various states and conditions but this ridged - I'm trying very hard to be okay - was something else.

"John?"

"Look what we've got?" he declared pointing to the baskets, trying to distract her attention.

"Yes, very nice but…."

"Not here," he whispered as he presented her the flowers.

Elizabeth took them from him with a smile. "Thank you." Turning to the two soldiers, she ordered. "Take these things to the mess hall kitchen and then go off duty for the night."

"Yes, ma'am," they said in unison.

When the two men moved off, Elizabeth turned back to find John walking away from her. "Where do you think you're going, Colonel?"

John cringed at the formality of her voice. He couldn't really think straight anymore, so frankly he didn't know where he was going. Only that he had to get away from prying eyes and too many questions. Making sure Rodney never got wind of this. Therefore, the only logical place to go was his quarters although, the infirmary would have been nice right now but that was far too public. Maybe, he could get Carson to come to him but at this time of night, the doc was probably tucked up, all nice and snugly in his bed. Like, he wanted to be if it wasn't for his back killing him, reminding him every second of the abuse laid upon it earlier today or was it yesterday?

Elizabeth's voice called out again but he kept on walking until he found her blocking his way.

"I said, where do you think you're going, Colonel? The infirmary is that way," she pointed.

"I know but it's late and the mission med can wait until morning."

"Are you crazy, John? You come back looking like hell and then use that as an excuse not to go. This is not like you."

"I have my reasons."

Elizabeth looked exasperated. "I'm sure you have but…."

John stopped her when he whispered. "Where's Rodney?"

The question caught her by surprise. "He's…err…in his lab, I think. He asked if you were back about an hour ago but I haven't heard from him since."

"Alright contact him, tell I'm back but I'm going straight to bed and then I'll go to the infirmary with you, but only if I can see Carson in private."

Wondering what in heavens name was wrong Elizabeth relented. Tapping her radio, she managed to pass the message along to a relieved Rodney who wasn't asleep yet and get Carson out of his bed. The doctor grumbled a bit but told her he'd be along in a minute.

Turning back to her second-in-command, she found John half slumped against the wall. "Hey, do you want me call for a gurney?"

"Na, I've made it this far I can make it the rest of the way."

Without another word, they both moved off in the direction of the infirmary. John was extremely grateful for Elizabeth's quiet support, as he didn't know how much longer he could last before his legs would finally give out.

Thankfully, it didn't take long until they entered Carson's domain and John was relieved that the man himself was waiting for them.

Beckett took one look at the colonel and sighed. "What have ya done to yourself this time, son? Come on let's go into the treatment room and check ya over."

John didn't hesitate as he stumbled after the doctor. Elizabeth couldn't decide whether to follow or wait outside but she desperately wanted to know what the problem was, so she slipped in behind them.

Carson led Sheppard over to the examining couch and John eased himself carefully down to perch on the edge.

"Ya know you're going to have to get rid of that thing?" Carson stated.

"What?"

"The damn weapon, son, ya don't need it here."

John looked down and realized that he was still clutching his P90 for dear life. Carefully, he unclipped it from his vest and held it out for the doctor to put down.

Carson could see what an effort that simple movement had cost the colonel, so reluctantly taking the weapon, Beckett placed it against the wall. "Now could ya remove your vest and jacket for me, please?"

Grunting, John attempted to ease out of his vest but the effort nearly made him black out. He heard the doc mutter something about needing a nurse before Carson stepped in and helped him to remove it. With an effort, the vest eventually came off and then the jacket by which time John was half out of it with pain and dizziness.

Carson wasted no time in quickly removing his 9mm, holster and belt. "Now what the bloody hell is causing ya so much pain. Is it your back?" Beckett questioned as he began to assess the man. John gave him a short nod and Beckett looked over John's shoulder to see that his black t-shirt was clinging in an abnormal way.

A nurse entered the room and she moved over the assist the doctor after he requested her help in getting the now half-conscious colonel to lay down on his front. Quickly grabbing a pair of scissors the nurse began to cut away the material of his t-shirt as the doctor waited to evaluate the damage.

"Oh, bloody hell," Carson cried echoing both the nurse and Elizabeth shocked gasps as they caught sight of John's back.

Elizabeth sat down quickly on a nearby stool. Tears welled up as she whispered. "How could anyone do such a thing?"

"I have no idea," Carson answered her. "Okay, we'd better get this cleaned up. Elizabeth would ya mind removing his shoes for me and then we can get him out of these trousers."

Elizabeth quickly moved to comply as the nurse was still trying to remove the remaining t-shirt, and she was having difficulties because dried blood and skin encrusted the material making it tricky to remove without causing more damage. John occasionally grunted when she hit a sensitive spot. Carson silently passed her some sterile solution, which she used to soak the material making it softer and easier to remove.

Shoes off, Carson gently turned John over enough to reach the fasteners of his uniform pants and then eased them down over his hips. Elizabeth averted her eyes slightly.

Carson smiled a bit. "'ave ya not seen the colonel's hairy legs before, Elizabeth?"

"It's not his legs I'm worried about." Elizabeth retorted.

"Oh, its okay we'll be leaving his boxers on for now. Although, I think its best ya wait outside. This is going to take a wee while and ya don't 'ave to watch."

Gratefully, Elizabeth left the treatment room without another word. Her thoughts were in turmoil. She had a suspicion about what had occurred, so could they in all honesty, trade with people like that? Grabbing a chair, she sat down and prepared for a long wait.

She must have dozed off because the next Elizabeth knew was Beckett standing over her with a hot cup of tea.

Gratefully taking it from him, she asked. "How is he?"

Carson parked himself down on a chair by her. "All cleaned up, wounds taped and dressed, pumped full of antibiotics, painkillers and a saline drip to replace lost fluids. The blood loss wasn't severe enough to require more than one unit of blood. How the hell he managed to make it home I'll never know. I swear that man is as stubborn as a donkey."

"He did it for Rodney." Elizabeth whispered.

"Ya what?"

"Rodney was facing some form of punishment for touching their shrine or something. I'm guessing that John took the punishment for him and that's why he's so desperate to keep it from Rodney."

Carson was flabbergasted. "Sheppard's need to protect those he cares about never ceases to dumbfound me and aye, I can understand the need to keep this from Rodney. I don't know if he would appreciate the gesture, so we'd better come up with a good cover story."

_I'm posting part 8 as well today. Hope you enjoy and please keep reviewing. Thanks. _


	8. The Right Thing

Part 8 – The Right Thing

John woke to the light of sunshine streaming though the infirmaries only window. He knew he must have slept for hours because the infirmary didn't get the sun until later in the day.

"Good afternoon, sleepyhead." A familiar female voice greeted him.

"Hi." John murmured back as best he could from his horizontal position.

Elizabeth grabbed her chair and moved around so he could see her. She wanted to be angry with him but that could wait until he was on his feet again. "Well, you certainly got yourself in a right mess didn't you?"

"Yep, I guess so. What have you told Rodney?"

"He doesn't even realize you're injured yet. I've sort of managed to keep him occupied for most of the day and he thinks you're busy with paperwork or something."

John tried to shift onto his side and was relieved to see he was in scrubs and not a hospital gown, which could have shown Elizabeth his naked butt. His back protested but the sharp agony was dull, almost reduced to an ache. Must be on some good meds, he thought.

Elizabeth helped him get comfortable before he asked. "So you realized what happened?"

"I have a good idea but if you'd like to fill me in, we're on our own here. No patients except you at the moment and the staff are on a coffee break."

John smiled slightly and began to tell Elizabeth what had transpired. The telling was straightforward until he got to the bit about the chanting and needing to touch the shrine.

"Have you any idea as to why they allowed you to touch it and yet made such a fuss when Rodney did?" Elizabeth asked.

John thought for a minute. The whole matter seemed so unreal now, almost as if it had been a dream. If it wasn't for his back, he would have said it was. "I can only guess that they believe that the shrine is somehow activated by the touch of a true believer or something like that. It's probably ATA gene related and some of the monks probably have the gene. Which makes me wonder how they pass it on in a closed sect like that?"

Elizabeth smiled. "Maybe the sect isn't that closed?"

"Yeah, could be. Although, how they recognized it in me, I have no idea. That doesn't really explain why they got so upset over Rodney? All I know is if the Wraith do come calling then the planet will be protected, I'm sure of that."

"Well, that's good to hear." Elizabeth hesitated not knowing how to approach the next subject. "You know what you did for Rodney was…err…very noble but surely there was some other way out?"

"Nope. I couldn't very well open fire on passive group of monks and I tried the negotiating bit but Vatu was adamant that the punishment should go ahead. I stepped in because Rodney wouldn't have handled it and I've been trained for such events. After all, it's not the first time it's happened," he whispered so softly that Elizabeth nearly missed it.

"What's not the first time?"

"I've been tortured before. In Afghanistan." Rather subdued, he continued. "I'd rather not talk about it."

"Of course." Elizabeth replied. She vaguely remembered seeing something in his service record about his two-day capture by Taliban insurgents before he'd thankfully been rescued, but she'd no idea that incident had included physical abuse. This new knowledge helped her understand ever more about why John was so devoted about not leaving anyone behind.

Just as she was about to say more, Carson entered the room. "How's our patient feeling?"

"Stiff and sore, doc, but the meds are good."

"Aye and I think ya're going to need them for a wee while, that was some job they did on your back."

"All in the name of their beliefs and before you say anything I'd still like us to trade with them if you can get an agreement out of the stubborn old leader?"

Elizabeth and Carson exchanged a look before Weir spoke up. "It is possible. I came to an agreement just as I was able to leave. Oh, and the fruit and vegetables you bought back were lovely."

A look of dismay crossed John's face. "Hey, has everyone eaten them all?"

"Not quite." Carson answered. "I think we can find ya one juicy grape."

"One grape?"

"Well, maybe a few more but they really went down well at lunch."

John sighed. "I might have guessed."

"Oh well, we'll 'ave to see what we can do about getting ya some food. Teyla and Ronon have been itching to visit, so they can bring ya something from the commissary."

"Do they know what happened?"

Elizabeth answered. "I had a quiet word with them and they have agreed to keep this from McKay."

"Good. So what do we tell him?"

Carson pondered for a moment. "I think its best we tell him that you've hurt ya your back. Slipped on some stones and bruised it rather badly and ya didn't realize how bad it was until you woke this morning and attempted to get up."

"Sounds good. Will it leave scaring?"

"I've done what I can to prevent it but one or two places will leave a little I'm afraid but you already had a few to being with."

Not wanting to go over that again, John quickly changed the subject. "Is Teyla better?"

The sudden switch of subject took Carson by surprise. "Teyla? Oh, her little problem was nothing, just a small tummy bug. We soon had that cleared up."

"Glad to hear it. One of the team out of commission is enough. So where's my food?" John asked as his stomach did a rather loud rumble.

"Coming right up, sir." Carson replied with a mock salute.

"Okay, Colonel, I'd better get back to work." Elizabeth stated as she stood and stretched. "Get well soon and don't you - **ever** - do anything like this again."

"Is that an order, ma'am?" John replied being equally as formal.

Elizabeth softened her voice. "I wish I could make it an order but with your penchant for trouble it wouldn't last very long."

John smiled. "I warned you about that."

"Yes, you did," she sighed, brushing some hair from his eyes. "Thank you for saving him pain, John and be good." With those parting words, Elizabeth left the room.

-SGA-

John had eaten a meal comprising of some of the vegetables from Darlenia and he'd had more than one of the grapes, which were delicious. Teyla and Ronon had come and gone a while ago leaving him with just his book and a nurse for company.

The nurse had just got him settled for the night when John heard Rodney finally come into the infirmary complaining about some bad damage to his person. Carson was right behind muttering curses and telling him to hold still.

"Do as the doc tells you, Rodney." John called as best he could from his prone position.

"What the?" McKay questioned coming closer to John's bed. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Well, hello to you too, Rodney."

"Well, if no one bothers to tell me, how the hell am I to know you're were here. What's wrong with you anyway?"

"I fell onto my back." John muttered into his pillow.

"Hello, I'm not your pillow, so I didn't hear that, did I?"

John tried to turn slightly. "I said I fell onto my back and…"

"He wrenched and bruised it rather badly against some sharp stones." Carson finished for him. "Now let's look at that cut finger, shall we, Rodney."

"Oh, yes, yes, I think I've cut it to the bone."

Holding up said digit towards the doctor, John heard Carson explain. "But there's hardly any blood, Rodney!"

Yep, John thought as he drifted off. He'd definitely done the right thing for his friend.

_tbc I was going to end it here but due to the great reviews I've decided to take it further. Next installment, hopefully, tomorrow. _


	9. I Know What You Did

Part 9 – I Know What You Did!

Sheppard woke to find Rodney dozing in the chair near his bed. For some reason, he felt like hell this morning and really didn't feel in the mood for Rodney chatter. As if on cue, McKay opened his eyes and stared at him in such a way that it gave John a very bad feeling indeed.

McKay continued to stare for several long minutes before suddenly asking a question. "So what kind of relics did the monks show you? Or…was it…herb remedies?"

Swallowing hard, John murmured. "You know the usual kind."

"Don't lie to me, Sheppard. I'm not that naïve," Rodney's voice was colder than John had ever heard it.

Knowing he couldn't reason with him lying flat on his front, John tried to ease himself onto his side but the effort left him dizzy and weak. McKay relented somewhat to help him until John was propped awkwardly facing him. "How did you find out?" John whispered.

"Oh, come on. You suddenly end up here and nobody bothers to tell me. It didn't take much brain power, and as you know I have plenty, to add two and two together. After you'd gone to sleep last night, Carson and I had a long conversation until in the end I got the whole story out of him." John glanced angrily towards Beckett's office. "Oh, and before you go chewing out the good doctor, he did an Oscar winning performance before admitting to the truth. Then there was Elizabeth's act yesterday. She did her utmost to keep me busy with this and that but none of it was truly important. I should have known then that something was foul."

Rodney paused for a second to look Sheppard in the eye. "All I want to know is why the hell you thought you had to play hero again and protect me against something that I could have handled? What do you take me for, a baby who needs coddling all the time? I was the one who touched their goddamn shrine and it should have been - **me -** they punished!" he shouted.

Sheppard cringed under McKay's harsh words. His head felt ready to explode as a drumbeat of a headache rose behind his brow. How could he find a way to explain and keep Rodney for turning against him forever? "I did it for selfish reasons," he finally admitted.

"I beg our pardon?" Rodney asked looking very confused.

"I couldn't stand by and watch someone else being…being mistreated again."

When Sheppard didn't add anymore, Rodney asked. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Desperately, John looked for a way out this. He really didn't want to tell anyone about his experience four years ago in the bleak foot hills one hundred miles north of Kabul. He swallowed hard against the dryness of his aching throat. Rodney must have seen his discomfort and reached out to hand him over a glass of water. John took it gratefully and swallowed nearly half before giving back to McKay.

Rodney looked at him. "Well?"

"I don't want to go there, Rodney, I really don't. Please drop it."

McKay looked at him sourly. "Sorry but I want to know."

"I asked you to drop it." John nearly shouted, "But I'll tell you this much. The kid's name was Joe. He never did fully recover from his ordeal, ended up getting shipped back to the States."

When Sheppard wasn't more forthcoming, Rodney persisted. "That doesn't help me understand your motives, so you're going to have to do better than that."

"Do the words Afghanistan, the War on Terror, Taliban mean anything to you? If so, use your endless grey matter, Rodney, and come to your own conclusions. Now please don't ask for anymore. I'm sorry, but if I'd let you take the punishment, I couldn't have stood by and watched. I may have flipped out or something and opened fire on a group of unarmed monks and how would that of looked?"

Rodney considered things for a moment. "Not good, but couldn't you have just threaten them or something?"

John sighed wearily. "It was kind of like a catch-22 situation, if it had meant anything then – yes - but I don't believe Vatu or his fellow monks would have given in no matter what I did to threaten them. They were adamant in their beliefs and somehow I respected that, so I decided the best way out was to take the punishment myself. I knew you'd feel this way, that's why I've tried to keep it from you. I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry," he whispered.

Before Rodney could say anything more, a nurse bustled up and started to fuss over Sheppard. She placed her hand against his brow and muttered. "I think we'd better measure your temperature again, it seems to have gone up even more since the last check." Saying no more, she produced a thermometer and stuck it in Sheppard's ear. A few minutes later, she looked at the display and with a forced smile went off in search of Dr. Beckett.

Rodney watched her go before turning back to Sheppard. He wanted to say more but John was already dozing off. "Err…I guess we can finish this later, huh?"

John murmured. "If you don't mind, Rodney, I don't feel so good."

Rodney looked worriedly towards his friend as the nurse returned with Carson. "What's wrong with him?"

"I can't tell ya right now, Rodney. His temperature is giving us some cause for concern, so we're going to do some more blood work and check his back again. Why don't ya take a break and let him rest. I'll let ya know how he is later."

"Fine, you do that." Rodney called as he left the infirmary.

-SGA-

Later turned out to be sooner as Carson's concerned voice came over Elizabeth's radio. Rodney had been chewing her out about Sheppard, so she was glad of the distraction. "Elizabeth is Rodney with ya?" When Elizabeth confirmed his presence, Carson continued. "Well, could you both please come to the infirmary?"

Elizabeth felt her heart quicken. "Of course, Carson, we're on our way."

Exchanging a worried look, they headed off as quickly as possible.

Carson was waiting for them as well as Teyla and Ronon. Elizabeth wanted to go over and check on John but the doctor led them straight into his office.

After everyone settled down, Carson came straight to the point. "Sheppard's not at all well. In fact, he's a very sick man and he's growing worse by the hour. We've done loads of tests but they all point one thing, septicemia. If that isn't halted soon, it could lead to septic shock and I think ya all know how dangerous that is?"

Both Rodney and Elizabeth nodded in understanding but Ronon and Teyla looked a little confused. Carson clarified things for them. "It's toxins flooding the body as a result of septicemia which is a result of an infection. I don't think I need tell ya where the infection site started. Now normally, intravenous board spectrum antibiotic treatment for the infection should have cleared up. Unfortunately, it hasn't because we're dealing with a very nasty bacteria which he must have picked up on Dalenia. It kind of reminds me of the Superbug - MRSA - that they're having to deal with back on Earth. We're testing cultures right now to see if any of our antibiotics have any effect but so far, nothing has touched it. We've been kind of worried about something like this happening since we arrived in the Pegasus Galaxy. After all, different worlds different bacteria and viruses."

Carson wiped a hand across his worried brow. "Quite frankly, I'm at a loss to know what to do next. He's burning up so fast that we're having trouble keeping his temperature down despite fever reducing drugs and cooling methods. His immune system is failing because it's being overwhelmed, although it wasn't too healthy to being with."

"Why's that?" Rodney asked.

"Well, it's only been a short while since we nearly lost him to the retrovirus and the treatment for that left his immune system a little under par."

Elizabeth nodded in understanding. "How long are we looking at?"

"Without an effective treatment, maybe thirty six hours, tops."

Elizabeth's eyes misted over and she knew she wasn't alone. "Can we see him?"

"Aye, but he's not really with us at the moment, although talking and giving comfort may help him fight it."

They all went to see Sheppard apart from Rodney who sat lost in deep thought.

_TBC _

_For those of you who predicted that Rodney would find out, you were right. Thanks again for all your great reviews. All medical information was taken from trusty BMA - Complete Family Health Encyclopedia, so if it's wrong blame them. _


	10. Let Me Help

Part 10 – Let me Help

Rodney eventually left Beckett's office to join the others gathered around John's bed. He nearly cried in shock at the sight of his friend's deterioration since the morning. Elizabeth was holding John's hand looking as if she was about to burst into tears. Teyla was on the other side having taken over the nurse's job for the moment as she cooled his brow with an ice-cold cloth. Ronon stood dejected and sullen unable to look directly at the deadly white figure before him. Instead, he watched the monitors with their reassuring lines and bleeps telling him that Sheppard was still with them.

Nobody looked up as Rodney moved to stand near Elizabeth. "Maybe the monks can help him," he murmured.

"How's that, Rodney?" Carson questioned as everyone listened in.

"Well, they did mention something about herbal remedies, so we've got nothing to lose by going back there and asking for their help. You never know, maybe they've got a miracle cure or something?"

Carson looked unsure. "He's going to need some more than herbs and from what I gather, Rodney, they're not exactly an advanced society but as ya said, we've got nothing to lose."

Elizabeth looked towards Teyla and Ronon. "Okay, you two go and see if they can do anything."

"Oh, no, no, that's my job." McKay put in. "It was my idea and I'm the one to go."

"In case you've forgotten, Rodney, they don't want you on their planet ever again. It could bring us even more trouble and punishment for you." Elizabeth pleaded.

Rodney threw up his hands. "I'd suffer a beating just for the chance of getting Sheppard some help and if they did that to an unarmed man then I guess…well, I guess they aren't worth dealing with anyway. Please give me this chance?"

Elizabeth looked at the others before turning back to McKay. "I don't like it but…okay. Teyla you go with him," she requested.

The Athosian nodded her head in agreement. "Then we had better go as quickly as possible."

Rodney nodded and turned to leave but suddenly changing his mind, he went back to John and took his unusually warm hand. "You'd better hang on in there, Sheppard or else I'll…I'll," but his voice broke before he could say anymore. Turning quickly, he marched out of the infirmary as Teyla rushed to catch him up.

-SGA-

It was early afternoon on Dalenia when Rodney and Teyla entered the town. Without stopping, McKay led the way towards the monastery even though many towns' people protested his presence. Unperturbed, he kept on until he reached the large wooden entry door, giving it several loud knocks. Teyla stood close by, unarmed but ready to defend him if necessary. It took several more knocks before someone eventually opened the door.

The monk took one look at McKay and went to shut the door again but Teyla put her foot in. "Please listen to what he has to say," she requested.

"He is not welcome here and neither are you."

"Yes, yes, I know all about your little prejudices but I promise I won't touch anything. I have to speak to Vatu immediately about a matter of utmost urgency. If it offends your order to let a woman in then Teyla can wait outside. "

The monk looked unsure about what to do. "It is not the fact that she is a woman that bothers me, it is her mode of dress."

Teyla looked down and realized for the first time that she was still in just her skimpy top. In her haste, she'd left her tac vest and jacket behind. "It is all right, I understand and I will wait for Dr. McKay here but please let him see Vatu," she begged.

"Very well, I will see what I can do but please wait here." Without another word, the monk closed the door.

"Well, that went down well didn't it?" muttered McKay.

"Have faith, Dr. McKay, I believe Vatu will see you."

Just as Rodney was about to reply his radio came alive with Elizabeth's worried voice. McKay got his pounding heart in order as he answered the call. "Yes, what is it?"

"Sorry to disturb you, Rodney, but I just had to know how things are progressing."

"Oh boy, you gave me a scare there, for a minute I thought…"

Elizabeth suddenly realized her mistake. "Oh goodness, Rodney, I'm so sorry. He's about the same and hanging on in there like you ordered."

"That's good to hear. I'm trying to get permission to see Vatu at the moment but they're taking their time."

"Okay, I won't contact you again for a while. I hope you come back soon. Weir out."

Clicking his radio off, McKay turned when he heard the door creek as it opened to show Vatu glaring at him. "What is so important that you return to us regardless of our warning?"

It was obvious that he wasn't being allowed in, so McKay was forced to make his appeal where he stood. "Okay, you remember Colonel Sheppard, the guy you beat the crap out of a few days ago, well it appears he's picked up some nasty bug…err…bacteria due to your mistreatment and he's currently lying on our infirmary and slowly dying from it."

Vatu looked shaken. "This can't be so."

"You think I made all this up?"

"No, I believe you, Dr. McKay. Please come inside and wait while we meditate over this matter. If there is a way to help, then Tyleen will show us. However, our warning still stands, you must not touch anything."

"Yes, yes, I promise but you must understand we haven't got much time before…"

"I understand and we will try to keep our meditation short." With that, Vatu left Rodney to find his own way into the building.

"I will wait for you here, Dr. McKay." Teyla spoke as Rodney ventured in.

Rodney nodded and ventured deeper into the building being wary not to touch anything although one or two encased books and manuscripts looked interesting. Eventually, he entered the shrine room to find that Vatu and the monks weren't there. Heading towards the shrine, he peered at it from a safe distance.

"I hope you go no closer." Vatu's voice called out making McKay jump several inches.

"Oh, no, I wouldn't think of it." Rodney reassured stepping back a bit. "Err…aren't you supposed to be meditating or something," he gestured.

"We already have. I told you it would be short, Tyleen gave us the answer very quickly. Several of the monks are preparing a medicine but to administer it will require our presence."

What is she, some kind of computer or something McKay thought? Answering Vatu, he said. "I think he's too sick to bring him here, so your people will have to come to us." If Elizabeth allows it, he amended to himself.

"We have never traveled through the ring," Vatu declared, "But for him we will do it. Let us finish with our preparations then I will come with our healer and three others to your world."

Rodney nodded in agreement wondering how the heck he was going to explain this to Weir. "Err…look, I'll go and wait outside with Teyla. I have to contact our home and make arrangements for your visit."

"Very well that is probably for the best as I sense that you are still longing to touch our shrine."

McKay gave him a guilty grin before backing off to join Teyla.

-SGA-

Rodney was busy studying some inscriptions on a wall near the entryway when Vatu and four monks finally came out carry various wooden containers and a book.

After a short greeting, they silently made their way towards the Stargate. It hadn't taken McKay long to convince Weir to allow the monks to come to Atlantis. Then again, Rodney hadn't been all that surprised, when it came to John Sheppard then Elizabeth would do almost anything for him.

The town's folk seemed taken back by the sight of Vatu and the others, so Rodney concluded that this wasn't an everyday event. They even gathered an escort of curious onlookers along the way, including a group of giggling children bent on annoying McKay.

Eventually, they arrived at the gate and McKay disengaged himself from the kids long enough to dial Atlantis and send through his IDC.

-SGA-

As McKay's IDC came though everyone in the gate room stopped what they were doing to watch curiously, as the event horizon slurped to release their people plus the five holy men in their bright orange robes.

Elizabeth came down the stairs to greet them. "Hallo, I'm Dr. Weir. Welcome to Atlantis." Elizabeth stated.

Vatu seemed somewhat surprised. "Thank you. However, I did not expect to see the city of the Ancients."

"You know about Atlantis?" Weir asked.

"Yes, through legend and our holy books but come we must not delay, so please take us to the colonel."

Weir nodded and quickly led the way to the infirmary.

Carson and the medical staff all felt compelled to move aside as Vatu and the monks approached John's bed. McKay and Teyla were appalled to see that Sheppard had deteriorated even more in the few hours since they had been away. They began to doubt if anything more could be done for him, which made McKay angry, guilty and sad all at the same time.

Vatu turned to Weir and McKay. "The aura is bad in here. These machines and things," he gestured towards to the numerous drips, "disturb the balance are they necessary?"

Dr. Beckett stepped forward. "They most certain are, they're the only thing that's keeping him alive right now and I certainly won't be moving them."

Vatu looked dismayed by this news. "Very well but can you put the sound down on this noisy machine," he said pointing to the heart monitor.

Carson relented. "Aye, in fact it only monitors his vitals, so I guess we can turn it off for a while but the IV's stay."

As Carson moved to push the monitors aside, Vatu and the healers began to make preparations. They opened the boxes to extract firstly a miniature figurine of Tyleen, which they placed reverently near the bed, and then various bottles of dark looking medicine and finally some rather bulbous ugly looking leaves.

Carson and Rodney exchanged a look of dismay each knowing what the other was thinking - a bloody traveling medicine show. Rodney felt like crying while Carson seemed resigned for they really didn't have anything to lose. Without help, John Sheppard would die in a matter of hours not days as he had first predicted.

_tbc_

_I'm afraid it's a bit of a short chapter but hopefully the final part will be up tomorrow. Enjoy and please review. _


	11. To All Gods We Pray

Part 11 – To All Gods We Pray

At the insistence of Vatu, Carson banished all medical staff from the infirmary leaving only himself and his head nurse. McKay and Weir refused to leave which Vatu didn't seem to mind as long as they kept their distance and didn't interfere no matter what. Teyla quietly left with a very sullen Ronon, respecting their need for solitude and peace. She intended to gather a few of her people and maybe others in prayer.

Beckett became extremely agitated as he witnessed the monks lift John's fever ridden body into an upright position and pour some of the contents of one bottle into his mouth nearly causing him to choke. Carson wanted to scream, ya not pouring that bloody stuff into my patient before it's been tested, but Elizabeth's hand calmed him as she murmured. "We've got nothing to lose." Carson became submissive. Realistically, there really hadn't been time to run a battery of tests on the stuff anyway, so he had to trust these people and hope that they weren't doing more harm than good.

They continued to watch as the monks undid Sheppard's hospital grown and turn his listless frame to lay face down before removing the dressings on his abused back. This time Carson was on his feet before McKay restrained him. Resigned, the Scot sat down and covered his eyes as the monks began to chant and place the now pulverize leaves onto John's inflamed back.

What seemed like hours later, Vatu and the monks stopped chanting and began to remove the pulpy leaf mass with soft cloths. Carson and the others strained to see if it had made a difference and strangely enough, it had. The wounds were still there but the inflammation had receded somewhat. They all watched as the monks lightly covered John's back with a gauzy material before redressing him and turning him into his side. Taking a cloth, Vatu dipped it into a bowl filled with some other substance and lightly wiped Sheppard's sweat drenched face.

Satisfied the monks turned to their audience and Vatu announced. "It is done. We can do nothing more, the rest is in the hands of Tyleen but we believe he will make it for his spirit is strong and his need to live is powerful. However, his journey will not be an easy one and do not despair if he shows no improvement at the beginning." Turning to Beckett, he asked. "You are the healer?"

"Aye, that I am and…"

Before Carson could continue, Vatu silenced him with his hand. "We are leaving you four bottles of medicine. You must ensure that he drinks one bottle per day. It must not be all at once but the more you get inside him the better."

"Aye, okay." Carson replied but he intended to send a small sample to the labs as soon as possible. "Is there anything else?"

"Just look after him and pray." With that, Vatu and his monks left the infirmary without another word. Rodney and Elizabeth quickly got up and followed leaving Carson standing with his mouth wide open as he stared at the figure of Tyleen still sitting like a guardian near John's bed.

A few minutes later, the medical staff slowly trickled back. Coming out of his thoughts, Carson held up one of the bottles and ordered. "Will someone please take a sample of this to the labs and get those monitors hooked up again."

-SGA-

The gateroom was quiet as the monks and the others entered. Vatu turned to Weir and said. "Knowledge of your city is safe with us, so have no fear. We are sorry that our punishment has caused your protector so much trouble, it was not what we intended."

Elizabeth quietly nodded wondering at the choice of his name for John. "What is done is done and there's no going back but we thank you for helping him."

"That was the least we could do." Vatu acknowledged. Turning to McKay, he handled over the book. "We will leave this for you to study. Maybe it will help you to understand our motives and religion a little better. You may keep it for a while but please return to us when you are finished."

Rodney took it gratefully. "Yes, yes, of course and thank you."

"We will leave now, so please dial our home." Elizabeth nodded to the gate technician and as the event horizon appeared, Vatu said. "Take care of him and let us know how he fares."

"We will." Elizabeth confirmed as she watched the monks disappear.

-SGA-

His world was filled with confusion, he didn't know which way was up and which way was down. The roller coaster of his fever-filled nightmares clouded his mind with images as he thrashed about. The bellowing voice of his angry CO, young Joe being flogged, the bodies of Mitch and Dex, his chopper in flames, Ford running into the Wraith beam, flying to close to the sun, Kolya taking Atlantis, the Wraith on his heels, Sumner dying before his eyes, a nuke going up, Wraith feeding on him... Flying to close to the sun, flying to close to the sun, getting hotter and hotter until searing flames engulfed him and propelled him to fall through wormhole after wormhole, spiraling down and down to finally land in - snow. Slowly the cold of the ice cooled him and he slept peacefully at last.

-SGA-

"Dr. Beckett!" the nurse called. "His fever has finally broken!"

Rushing over, Carson declared. "Oh, thank God for that! For a while there, I thought we were really going to lose him, for sure!"

Rodney looked up from his place near Sheppard's bed to note that Carson looked as bad as he felt. With dark rings under his eyes and lines more pronounced. Turning to the prone figure of his friend, he cursed. "Damn you, Sheppard, you certainly know how give people a scare."

"Aye that he does. Look, Rodney it's been a long night, so why don't ya go and get some sleep now."

"And what about you?"

"I think I'll kip down on a spare bed here for a while and see if I can get a few winks before the lab results finally come in." Checking Sheppard one more time, he continued. "Although things are looking a little better now, so I'm guessing that their horrible medicine has done some good. But how I'm going to get that down him once he wakes up is going to be a real problem. It smells like piss and probably tastes worse."

Rodney laughed for the first time in hours. "That piss probably saved his life and we'll get it into him even if we have to hold him down."

Carson laughed as McKay left the room.

-SGA-

Carson woke with a start after having slept far longer than he intended, but seeing as no one had woken him then things must be all right.

He remained quietly laying on the bed for while slowly coming to. From his vantage point, he could see Sheppard's bed and noted that he had an early morning visitor - Elizabeth. She was holding John's hand and talking softly to him. For a minute, Carson thought Sheppard was awake but as he got up and came nearer, he could see that he wasn't. Elizabeth didn't seem to hear the doctor approach as she continued to speak softly and suddenly plant a light kiss on John's forehead.

Clearing his throat, Carson made Elizabeth jump back and go slightly red. "Oh my, Carson, are you trying to give me a heart attack?"

"I wouldn't dream of it, lass, one leader in the infirmary at a time is enough." Moving closer, Carson sighed. "Now let's see how our more permanent resident is doing?"

Elizabeth moved away and watched as Carson did a routine check. "How is he?" she whispered as he finished.

"Over the worse, thank God. He's going to be as weak as a kitten for a while but he'll pull through."

Elizabeth's relief was obvious. Just as she was about to say more, a lab technical came up to Beckett. "We've got the results you've been waiting for, doctor."

"Well?"

Looking at her pc-tablet, she reported. "Whatever's in that medicine has some anti-bacterial elements. It has started to clear up the bacterial cultures but not completely. The medicine is a little on the unstable side and could cause a few side effects but nothing harmful. With your agreement, we'd like to start working on it with a possible view of eventually being able to utilize some of the elements to create an antibiotic that could help us here and maybe even back on Earth."

"Aye, that would be wonderful if ya could, so go ahead, lass."

The technician nodded and glanced towards the colonel saying. "He's certainly got an excellent guardian angel," she commented, before heading out of the room.

"Aye that he certainly has." Beckett agreed. Elizabeth murmured. "Thank goodness."

-SGA-

The road to recovery was proving to be a difficult and taxing one for Sheppard. For four days, he had suffered with nausea, stomach cramps, embarrassing diarrhea, headaches and generally feeling like shit. When he was conscious enough to realize what was going on, he couldn't get comfortable as his legs and arms seemed to weighed down with lead and went from hot to cold in a matter of seconds. After numerous tests, Beckett had announced that the symptoms all seemed to be related to the medicine and true to word, the minute he stopped taking the awful stuff the side affects started to ease.

Today, he'd been allowed up for the first time since the whole ordeal had begun six days ago, although it had taken the support of Carson and a nurse to get him from one side of the infirmary to the other. By the time, they had him back in bed he'd gratefully fallen asleep again for a couple of hours.

Sheppard was now trying to read a two-month-old copy of Sports Illustrated – the swimsuit edition but even with the bevy of beautiful women gracing the front, he was having little success because he kept dropping off. That was until Rodney came bursting into the infirmary and promptly sat himself down next to John's bed.

Prodding John, he enthusiastically held up the book that the monks had given him. "This has taken us four days to translate," he announced with obvious excitement. "It's written in a dialect based on Ancient but once we got the basics, we could let the computers do the rest. And what it reveals is fantastic and explains an awful lot about their society and thinking. If you feel up to it, I could tell you the nitty-gritty?"

"Yeah sure, go ahead as long as it's not too boring, otherwise I'm likely to drop off on you."

"Oh, no, I can assure you this isn't boring but I'll keep it as short as I can." Sitting up straighter, McKay began. "Okay, well, it turns out that their religion isn't as old as you may think. Up until about 400 years ago, the planet was culled in much the same way as any other, so that would explain the lack of technical advancement. At that time, they had a religion based on worshiping Ancient relics, of all things. Then along comes this brilliant scientist called Lena Tyrell from a planet we've yet to identify. Just like us, she and her team of fellow scientists and engineers were conducting Stargate exploration. It looks like they were forced to spend more time on Dalenia then they first intended which as it turns out, wasn't a bad thing for the natives."

Rodney paused to get his breath back and open a power bar. Taking a bite, he continued. "They stayed…umm…on Dalenian for…umm…five years, during which time they found a…err complete Ancient laboratory somewhere in the hills beyond the town. Now what I can gather from her notes, this lab contained an operational ZPM, weapons chair, drones, all the other things you need to defend against a Wraith attack, and yet it hadn't been used in millennia. Now knowing how religious and simple minded the inhabitants were she decided to turn the whole thing into a new religion to get them to use it as intended."

Rodney munched on his candy again checking to make sure Sheppard hadn't gone to sleep but he was still intently listening, although he pulled a disgusted face at Rodney's champing and asked. "She based it on herself?"

"No, no, that's…umm…not what she intended but over the time I think that's how it evolved. Anyway, the brilliant part is, she and her team managed to move some of the equipment into the town and had the monastery built to house it. The ZPM and statue is just the tip of a very ingenious early warning system that picks up Wraith darts whether they enter from space or through the Stargate," he enthused, candy bar suddenly forgotten much to John's relief. "When the system goes up the ZPM becomes fully operational and ready to launch a counter attack from the old lab in the hills."

"Wow, that's cool, but let me guess, it still needs ATA gene activation to launch to drones?"

"Yep, right on the dot. As brilliant as Tyrell was, she still couldn't overcome that problem. Anyway, it seems she found a way to test the locals for the gene and guess what - about seventy percent had it. Then, she formed the fellowship of monks we see today as guardians and they are replaced by ATA selection from the population when necessary. Over the centuries, the religion changed slightly until it's what we see today."

"So what happened to this woman and the rest?" John asked.

"I think, they eventually managed to return home or at least someplace else through the Stargate. It seems they witnessed two Wraith attacks during their stay and their system worked fine. Luckily, the attacks weren't during the construction period."

"Yeah." John pondered. "And the don't touch or you're punished bit?"

"I guess, she warned them against touching it other than during an attack. So they introduced the punishment to make sure others didn't meddle with something they could have broken."

"Yep, that's what I thought but we got off lightly. I was told the normal punishment is a little more severe."

"Really, what's more severe than what they did to you?"

Deadpan, John answered. "Death."

McKay swallowed hard and took another bite of candy. He didn't ask how the hell Sheppard would have gotten him out of that one.

When McKay made no further comment Sheppard, pondered "You know, I think I was used that night. Somehow, they must have tested me for the gene and then for some reason made me touch their shrine. I can only remember seeing a vision of darts being destroyed before passing out. You don't suppose… Na."

"What?"

"A Wraith attack?"

Rodney looked thoughtful for a few seconds. "Oh, I very much doubt it. They wouldn't need your touch for weapons deployment, so I'm guessing that the shrine also has some kind of virtual environment interface and what you witnessed was a play back of previous attacks."

John looked a little disappointed. "Yeah, you're probably right."

"Of course, I am." McKay smirked. "And you know what, there's always a scientific explanation for everything."

John looked short to the figure of Tyleen still placed near his bed. "If you say so, Rodney, but I don't think the people of Dalenia would agree with you." McKay didn't reply to that.

The silence stretched between them for a moment, each lost in their own thoughts. "Err…Rodney," John spoke hesitantly. "Thanks."

Rodney looked at him strangely. "What for?"

"For what you said when Elizabeth didn't want you to back to Dalenia."

"You heard that?"

John instinctively chewed on his bottom lip. "Yeah, I can't remember much of what went on but I do remember you saying that you were willing to take the punishment to get help for me."

Rodney looked slightly embarrassed.

John didn't pursue it any further. "So is everything – good - between us now?"

"Yes, but all I ask is just don't anything like this again."

"Oh, believe me I don't ever want to go through anything like this again, so to prevent it happening, I'm putting some new protocols in place for future missions and for all teams. From now on, if ZPMs or any other artifacts are already in the possession of natives we do not touch them before asking. How does that sound."

"Like a damn good idea," Rodney answered, as he started to rummage through John's fruit bowl and pinch some juicy Dalenian grapes.

"Hey, put those down they're mine!"

Rodney grabbed his book and bolted for the exit with his prize.

-SGA-

Epilogue – Two weeks later

The cool evening wind ruffled John's hair as he stood on his favorite pier overlooking the calm dark sea. Out across the vast expanse of sky, the first stars began to shine. He breathed deeply taking in a lung full of fresh sea air. It sure felt good to be alive. Yet again, he'd come awfully close to losing it but he didn't regret his actions for one minute. Deep in his heart, he knew McKay wouldn't he have survived such mistreatment without permanent scars to his psyche, just like Joe Paterson. As for his own scars, well what was one more to add to his growing list? No, things were how they should be and he, John Sheppard, would continue to protect his friends as best he could.

The End

_Well, that's it folks. Thanks for all your wonderful and very welcome reviews and comments. I do hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it. _


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